Caves Album Review by NewReleaseTuesday Posted June 15, 2015 By MaryNikkel_NRT, Staff Reviewer Caves is the brainchild of Josh McCabe and Matt Shaban, based out of Ontario, Canada. Their eponymous debut album was funded by a successful indiegogo campaign. The ten songs on the project were largely born out of a challenging season in songwriter Josh McCabe's life, a dynamic that keeps the songs personal. The vertical songs have a sense of being slightly nostalgic in musical style without being dated, with clean alt rock arrangements reminiscent of where worship music was in the late 90s and early 2000s. The production however is slick and current, smoothing the dynamic of strong vocals over a guitar foundation. The concepts presented in the songs are the simple, foundational truths that believers deeply need to be rooted in, especially in times of struggle. Upbeat "You're Alive" declares "we're living for the King, 'cause You're alive and I have been redeemed." Stripped back "Trust" carries a confessional tone, while "Stronger Than Death" has one of the strongest lyrical moments on the project in the words "Glory shone through death's defeat, perfect love upon that tree." In addition to the capable musicianship of Josh and Matt, the album features some significant guest appearances. Amanda Cook of Bethel features on lead single "My God," a calming track well suited to her soothing vocals. "Take All Our Titles," a lengthy track which feels almost like spontaneous worship in its desire to be Spirit-led, features the vocals of alt rock and solo worship veteran Aaron Gillespie. Although most of the songs on the project are original compositions, the duo chose to also record a reworked version of Delirious?'s "Obsession" (also performed by David Crowder*Band). Given that this track has long been a personal favorite worship song that I have always felt was vastly underrated, I was both excited and somewhat apprehensive to hear their take on it. However, the end result was extremely well done, fleshing out the sound of the original without losing the vulnerability of the lyrics. Closing Thoughts: It's rare that an independent band's first steps are so decisive and strong, but with their debut project, Caves proves that they know their way around the worship landscape. With firm grounding in quintessential spiritual realities and the musical skills to express them, this is a project that is both worshipful and relatable. Although there is certainly ground for Caves to find the elements that truly set them apart and carve out their own niche, their first forays prove how much promise there is for that to happen.